Ask DocSk8 (Expert Indoor Skate Building Advice)This forum is different then the other SkateLog forums in that it is not a discussion forum, but rather a place you can ask skate building expert Fred "DocSk8" Benjamin about
building and repairing indoor speed, derby, and jamskate quad roller skates. Please start a new thread for each new
question.

Hey Doc, sorry for my absence.
you have no idea, Doc.. way too much improvisation and time...

unfortunately, i have damaged some of my bearings far too much. 3 bearings are gone. this what happens when there is dirt and u continue skating but at least it wasn't done on purpose but ignorance.

cleaning itself easily took hour+ , i decided to re-assemble the next day.

i had no choice, my bearings were so messed up. this is the only way to thoroughly clean them. dunking your bearings into solvent without removing all the parts is like just having a mouth wash liquid, without brushing teeth.

after bearings assembly done, it was still not smooth, at higher speeds, the bearings just get clustered, losing momentum. it was long before i discovered, changing the 7 ball to 6 ball was the best solution, so i did those with the spare retainers that i have.

i spent hours and hours, even up to 2am and gave up for the next day.

here's where all the problem started:
notice the red sealers on my bearing picture. there are some logo/wording sticking out from them. and these particular sealers get in contact with my frame once the wheels are in. so no matter how fast, the sealers contact the sides, u slow down.

this was the reason i eventually removed the sealers on 1 side in the first place. then all the dust entered and wrecked it.
it took much time to change from 7 ball to 6 ball, then i had to change the sealers. recycled from other bearings. was thinking of many ways but the solution was easy.

its going good so far now... phew.. finally solved it. all the problem started was from these pesky seals.

Using a good solvent is probably do a better job but I do not like to deal with most solvents because of the odor or the effect they will have on the skin, so I clean my bearings using an ultrasonic cleaner filled with WD40. WD40 acts as a degreaser and the ultrasonic cleaner gets any particles out. After that, I blow the bearings with compressed air and allow any oil to dry out. I also remove, clean and reset the bearing retainers during the process. Then I put a drop of speed cream on each bearing. This has worked well for me. I usually clean my bearings a week before each competition and at least once every 6 months. I have been able to maintain the condition of my bearings for over 20 years. I am more surprised that my $12 ultrasonic cleaner from over 20 years ago is still working today.

Using a good solvent is probably do a better job but I do not like to deal with most solvents because of the odor or the effect they will have on the skin, so I clean my bearings using an ultrasonic cleaner filled with WD40. WD40 acts as a degreaser and the ultrasonic cleaner gets any particles out. After that, I blow the bearings with compressed air and allow any oil to dry out. I also remove, clean and reset the bearing retainers during the process. Then I put a drop of speed cream on each bearing. This has worked well for me. I usually clean my bearings a week before each competition and at least once every 6 months. I have been able to maintain the condition of my bearings for over 20 years. I am more surprised that my $12 ultrasonic cleaner from over 20 years ago is still working today.

I have used Simple Green in an ultrasonic cleaner with great results. It saved a few sets of bearings back in 2007 when the first Team Skatelog team did the Montreal 24 Hour Roller and it rained pretty heavily in the nighttime hours.

Using a good solvent is probably do a better job but I do not like to deal with most solvents because of the odor or the effect they will have on the skin, so I clean my bearings using an ultrasonic cleaner filled with WD40. WD40 acts as a degreaser and the ultrasonic cleaner gets any particles out. After that, I blow the bearings with compressed air and allow any oil to dry out. I also remove, clean and reset the bearing retainers during the process. Then I put a drop of speed cream on each bearing. This has worked well for me. I usually clean my bearings a week before each competition and at least once every 6 months. I have been able to maintain the condition of my bearings for over 20 years. I am more surprised that my $12 ultrasonic cleaner from over 20 years ago is still working today.

As long as you get the WD 40 gone before rolling them, you should be fine.. I still don't get this love of Speed Cream. I can't see any difference between it and many other things...except cost.

__________________
"The difference between good skates and great skates comes from knowing where to get the numbers."

I have used Simple Green in an ultrasonic cleaner with great results. It saved a few sets of bearings back in 2007 when the first Team Skatelog team did the Montreal 24 Hour Roller and it rained pretty heavily in the nighttime hours.

I have a bottle of Simple Green. I shall give that a try on a set of bearings.

I have a bottle of Simple Green. I shall give that a try on a set of bearings.

Remember that it is water-based, so you need to have an air source to blow all of the liquid out ASAP. I have also used an oven on low heat with bearings that are all metal and do not have nylon ball retainers.

Just purchased 160 bearings ABEC 7 with metal shields on Amazon for under $40US. How do I maintain them? Easy:

When a bearing gets noisy or slow, I yank it out of the wheel and toss it in the trash. Lather, rinse, repeat, until all 160 are gone. Then...you guessed it...lather, rinse, repeat...buy another load of cheap bearings and start the cycle all over again!

Just purchased 160 bearings ABEC 7 with metal shields on Amazon for under $40US. How do I maintain them? Easy:

When a bearing gets noisy or slow, I yank it out of the wheel and toss it in the trash. Lather, rinse, repeat, until all 160 are gone. Then...you guessed it...lather, rinse, repeat...buy another load of cheap bearings and start the cycle all over again!

I kept the same bearings for over 20 years. If I had done what you suggested every 6 months for the past 20 years, I would have spend $1,600 on bearings. That could have paid for two or three good pairs of skates.

I kept the same bearings for over 20 years. If I had done what you suggested every 6 months for the past 20 years, I would have spend $1,600 on bearings. That could have paid for two or three good pairs of skates.

I skate outdoors exclusively. Rain or shine. Most of my wet skating is on a longboard with only 8 bearings. I will lose one or two bearings every wet session. If i cleaned my bearings after every wet skate over the past 20 years it would have cost me $50,000 in lost time. You see, my free time is worth $100/hour and fussing with bearings is costing me time. Some people do not value their time. Time is finite, money is not. You can always make more money, you can't make more time. It all depends on your sense of personal economics. Bearings cost me 22 cents each. I don't pay for rink time. Tell me which one of us is coming out ahead financially.

I skate outdoors exclusively. Rain or shine. Most of my wet skating is on a longboard with only 8 bearings. I will lose one or two bearings every wet session. If i cleaned my bearings after every wet skate over the past 20 years it would have cost me $50,000 in lost time. You see, my free time is worth $100/hour and fussing with bearings is costing me time. Some people do not value their time. Time is finite, money is not. You can always make more money, you can't make more time. It all depends on your sense of personal economics. Bearings cost me 22 cents each. I don't pay for rink time. Tell me which one of us is coming out ahead financially.

Good for you. Unlike you, my free time is $0/hour. What works for you does not necessarily work for me.

Good for you. Unlike you, my free time is $0/hour. What works for you does not necessarily work for me.

If someone were to take all of your free time away from you, how much would you pay - per hour - to get it back? You are kidding yourself, or just not thinking, if you do not put a value your free time. I know mine is very prescious. At the end of my life it would be a very sad thing to realize i had wasted any of it.

If someone were to take all of your free time away from you, how much would you pay - per hour - to get it back? You are kidding yourself, or just not thinking, if you do not put a value your free time. I know mine is very prescious. At the end of my life it would be a very sad thing to realize i had wasted any of it.

I do not put any value on my free time. It is both priceless and worthless. There is no job in the world that can make up for loss of my free time. Nor is there any activity in my free time that can justify giving up a job.

If someone were to take all of your free time away from you, how much would you pay - per hour - to get it back? You are kidding yourself, or just not thinking, if you do not put a value your free time. I know mine is very prescious. At the end of my life it would be a very sad thing to realize i had wasted any of it.

In the past, Americans valued doing work themselves. We worked on our cars, built barns and boats, made saddles. It wasn't just to save filthy lucre, it was to enjoy doing a job well. Some are still like that. Others with a lot of disposable income just buy their happiness. To each his own. At the end of my life it would be very sad to know I felt too hurried to learn to do anything myself, or that I needed to school others to not do so. When State economies crash, and 1 out of 3 lost their jobs in the depression, having some skills (hard skills and interpersonal) was more valuable than remembering the wads of cash you used to have in a bank somewhere. Income can be lost, savings can be used up, but confidence in your skills never can.